Colombia. The 2017 Global Leaders' Summit for the United Nations (UN) Global Compact recognized tania Cosentino, Schneider Electric's president for South America, and 10 other pioneers for their work to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), on September 21 in New York.
These pioneers are people from all over the world who defend sustainability in their companies from their reach and leadership and mobilize the entire business community to act in the search for the 17 SDGs.
"Each of the pioneers is an example of how businesses and individuals can be the force for positive change that highlights the issues we face today," said Lise Kingo, CEO and Executive Director of the UN Global Compact. +
Schneider Electric in South America, under the direction of Tania Cosentino, has worked to help create an economy focused on reducing carbon emissions. The technology and solutions developed by the company allow its customers to reduce costs more efficiently in the management of their resources, throwing less CO2 into the environment and, consequently, generating a decrease in the payment of taxes.
The company operates through South American operations on 12 of the 17 SDGs: poverty eradication; quality education; gender equality; drinking water and sanitation; clean and accessible energy; fair work and economic growth; industry, innovation and infrastructure; reduction of inequalities; sustainable cities and communities; action against climate change; peace, justice and efficient institutions; partnerships and means of implementation.
Each year, the UN Global Compact honors a group of SDG pioneers – business leaders who do exceptional work acting to advance the Global Goals. Hundreds of nominations are received from various regions of the world, of which 10 finalists are selected, exemplifying how business can be the positive force in addressing the challenges we face as a global society.
The selection of the pioneers is carried out by specialists from the UN, academia, civil society and the private sector, who analyze whether the characters meet a basis of criteria.
"It is an honor to be among the 10 pioneers in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the UN Global Compact. Both I and Schneider Electric are aware of the urgency in implementing the objectives of the global compact. I believe that the private sector has an important role to play in building a better and more sustainable world for all. That's why, at Schneider Electric, we prioritize most of the SDGs in our businesses," Cosentino explained.
The UN Global Compact, the largest corporate sustainability initiative in the world, convenes companies that align strategies and operations with the universal principles of human, labor, environmental and anti-corruption rights, and act to advance social goals.
